Bipolar disorder and work

@Crystalthmp i know exactly how you feel...you sound like me. It was hard for me to decide to file for disability because I don't trust that I can or will be able to hold a job down. And I wanted to make sure I had some kind of money coming in but I am also a single mother.. I would just talk about with your husband, and maybe your doctor or o therapist. 

@butterfly77 - I’ve also spent my life jumping from one job to another. I think it’s the anxiety that urges me to look for a new job every year or so. Not sure. 

Has anybody applied for disability who suffers from bipolar, depression and or anxiety? I am 52 years old and as I am aging I find my being able to be consistent is non-existent due to the bipolar.

I'm 41, with bipolar, MMD, and social anxiety and I went on disability back in 2010 and am still on it. Life is hard for me and I just can't seem to do things right or have a normal day where I could go back to work at this point.

I have been battling with my bipolar illness since I was diagnosed in 2007, it actually got so back that I had to leave my job because the year before I had to take three medical leaves from work and be admitted into the hospital. That was just the start of what would change my life forever. I had to move back home with my parents because the doctors said I was not stable enough to live on my own. In 2010 I was approved for disability and have been on it ever since. In and out of the hospital, different doctors, still have the same therapist (he is my rock) and to this day I am still struggling with it. I was also diagnosed with MMD and Social Anxiety which has not made things any better for me. I just recovered from a manic episode about two months ago and now going through a depressive episode. I am working with my health professional team very closely, but there has been little to no progress. But we are still trying new things, meds, to see if we can find the right combo for me. As I'm sure you may know, finding the right medication can take a long time, but I am glad I have support from my Mom, doctors, and therapist to help me along on this course. I have my bad days, some good days, but just not getting any better yet. All I can do is hope.

When I worked I made a lot of friends. I would run around the building like a chicken with my head cut off when I was manic. I've even been asked if I was drunk by a supervisor. I start fights with random people for the heck of it. Then play the victim when get called in the office.

When depressed, I don't do my work. I cry and am vey emotional. I miss alot of work due to not getting out of bed. I don't eat.

I've lost many many jobs due to my illness.

@Byrdie8⁸

I know you wrote this a while ago. I am 52 and was approved for disability after a 3 year battle. I had a long work history with many medical leaves, so yes it is possible to get disability with bipolar, my approval was a challenge because a judge only read one report a wrong one!

I have not yet applied for disability for my bipolar mania. There is no way I feel like I could work. Each day is different. There's times where I just feel so empty and lost inside that there is no encouragement to get out there and get a job. Other times I just feel odd. I wish to God I could turn back the clock and go back to before this diagnosis. I truly feel like it is running my life.

I also wish I could go back in time, truly I do not remember what it feels like to be that person. I have realized that I struggled and managed more than I realized and try to give myself as much credit as I can today, this takes a lot of help and praise from my therapist, psychiatrist, friend, family. also hope through this forum when I feel I have burnt them out

@Morckster I was lucky and got approved for disability on my first try. I know it is really hard, but you have to have good doctor's and therapist whom take detailed notes so that they can show the disability board that you really are disabled. It's a shame that we have to fight so hard to prove our mental illness drastically affects our lives. I am still fighting the battle every day. After 15 years of work, I am still unstable and seems to only get worse as time goes on. It's really hard for me now because I had to move from Chicago back to my home in IN with my parents and there just isn't any good treatment out here. To make matters worse, after going through 7 psychiatrist since I have been back, I am now stuck with a nurse practitioner. I am not saying she doesn't know what she is doing, but it just isn't the same as actually having a REAL doctor who has trained and studied my mental illness. Now, she wants me to try ECT and I will not try that. I have done my research, talked to my therapist, and others about their experiences and the effects outweigh the benefits. So I am kind of stuck now, not knowing what my next step is. I hope you are doing well. --Thom